Electric switch



Original Filed Oct. 50, 1929 INVENTOR. Ari/7m 67 6a 7101; BY w ammc. Gaynor. Strat or Application mmso, 1929, Serial No. goals: Renewed May 31, 19:4

14 Claims. (01. 200-87) This invention relates to electric switches, and between itself and the walls or the slot for free,

more particularly, to the snap or quick acting oscillation. types. The body is adapted to be supported by a yoke An object of the present invention is to pro- 15 having screw-receiving holes 16 by means of 6 vide a switch which may be made relatively which the switch may be mounted on a sup- 6G small but in which the parts are of substantial porting structure and having depending ears size so that relatively heavy currents may pass 1'7 adapted to embrace the sides of the body 10. through the switch. In the form of the invention shown herein, Another object of the present invention is to the yoke has two depending ears- 1'7,- one at 10 provide an enclosed toggle switch of such small each side or the body and lying 'in recesses 18 dimensions that it may be conveniently mounton the sides of the body. ed in a handle of a vacuum cleaner or other The two insulating blocks 11 constitu ng the electrical appliance. body may be secured together and then be se- Another object is to provide a switch in which cured to the ears 17 of the supporting yoke.

15 the contacts are so arranged that the wire ends However, according to this invention, the insumay be secured thereto while the contact ends lating blocks 11 are held together and are seare out of the switch, the contacts being secured to the supporting yoke ears 17 by the curely held in place by the switch body when same means, thus efiecting a saving in the numthe switch is assembled. ber of parts required for the switch. 20 Other objects and advantages will hereinafter Accordingly, each block 111s provided with a appear. screw-receiving metal insert 19 aligned with a In the accompanying drawing which shows one hole 20 in the other block-11, through which the form of the invention, that at present preinsert projects. The holes 20 and inserts l9 ferredare adapted to align with similar holes 21 in the 25 Figure l is a sectional view of the switch yoke ears 1'! so that after the two blocks 11 are taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2. fitted together, the yoke ears may be slid down Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the switch. through the recesses 18 until the holes 21 in the Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the switch. yoke ears align with the holes 20, whereupon Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view, showing a porheaded screws 22 may be inserted and adjusted 30 tion of the body of the switch broken away to in the inserts 19 in the opposite blocks 11. By expose the p -ting parts within the switch. this simple'means, the blocks are held together Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on d th yoke is secured to the m k the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. The yoke 15 is provided with an elongated Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the switch. aperture 23 through which the handle 14 may 5 7 is fragmentary View wing the be operated. In order that the handle need switch mechanism in on position. not have sliding contact with the walls of the F 8 i5 8 disassembled end View Of t e aperture in the yoke and yet to provide a flush switch mechanism. surface at the top of the switch, the perimeter F 9 is Similar View Of a modified fo m 0 of the straight edge of the body is provided with 40 the mechanism shown in Fig. 8. a shoulder 24 adapted to fit within the aperture As shown i t a p y drawing. the 23 of the yoke, permitting the surface 25 of the switch o t Present invention D eS n yoke to be flush with the surface 26 of the body. insulating body 10 divided longitudinally into Preferably, the aperture 23 in the yoke is made two parts or insula in blocks h c are to snugly fit over the shouldered portion 24 of 45 semi-circular in form and fit together as shown t body to'firmly embrace th b1 11 t in Fi 2 and The meeting f the tuting the body and prevent any tendency of blocks 11 are rec s to Provide a Cheihbefl2 the blocks to spread apart at the straight edge in which the switch mechanism is located, and through which the operating handle 14 extends. this recess extends to the ex e o of the y The switch mechanism of the present inven- 50 where it forms a longitudinal slot 13 extending tion is of the toggle'type and comprises a 0011- from close to one end of the body to close to tact-bridging member 2''! in the form of a roller the other end and through which a bar-like having an axle 28 carried by links 29 mounted handle 14 extends for manual engagement to on an axle 30 to swing from one position of rest actuate the switch mechanism. The handle 14 where the roller engages abutments 31 on the 55 fills the slot 13 leaving only sumcient clearance body (see Fig. 1) to another position of rest where the roller engages a pair of contacts 32 to close a circuit including said contacts. The links 29 are so designed that the contact-bridging roller 27 does not engage the adjacent surface 33 of the body but swings clear of it.

The switch mechanism also includes an arm 34 whose lower. end has a socket 35 engaging the contact-bridging rollers axle 28 and carrying at its upper end a slidable head 36 adapted to be engaged by an operating arm 37 carried by the handle 14 which, it should be noted, isfulcrumed on the axle 30 which also carries the links 29. Interposed between the sliding head 36 and shoulders 38 on the arm 34 is a coil spring 39 which tends to hold the switch mechanism and the operating handle 14 ineither of two positions of rest, the spring urging the operating arm 37 upwardly and causing the lower edge 40 on the handle to engage a stop 41 on the body.

When the handle is rocked, the operating arm 37 thereon presses the sliding head 36 downwardly compressing the spring 39. While doing so, due to a knife edge 42 on the operating arm 37 engaging a depression 43 in the sliding head 36, the arm 34 is rocked about its mounting on the roller axle 28, and thus the upper end of the spring is carried beyond a line drawn through the axle 30 for the handle and the axle 28 for the contact-bridging roller 27. When this occurs, the spring may again-expand and in doing so moves the end of the arm 34 engaging the roller 27 away from the stop '31 toward the contacts 32, or vice versa, according to the previous condition of the switch, and at the same time completes the rocking movement of the handle until one of the stops 41 is engaged by one of the ends 40 of the handle. During this movement, the roller 27 is. guided solely by the links 29. v

In moving from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 7, the roller strikes inclined surfaces 44 of the contacts 42 and rises until it strikes vertical surfaces 45 of the contacts. This is permitted by providing looseness as by a slot 47 between the links 29 of their axle 30, and as a result of this movement, the spring 39 may actto resiliently press the roller into the depression formed by the sloping surfaces 44 and the vertical surfaces 45 of the contacts, and thus insures good electrical engagement between the bridging-roller 27 and the contacts.

In the illustrated embodiment of this invention, the handle 14 shown is formed like the handle in the patent to Kloss #1,5l0,064, and comprises a bar having two contiguous surfaces 46 angularly disposed with relation to each other for manual engagement to operate the switch. The angle betweenthe surfaces 46 is such that in each position of rest of the switch one of the surfaces 46 is substantially parallel with the straight edge of the body and the supporting yoke, the other surface 46 sloping upwardly from a medium point and being always the next surface to be operated to change the condition of the switch.

.As shownherein, the operating am 36 for the handle may be a metal piece inserted in the handle during the molding thereof, but the handle itself is made of insulating material so that a person operating it will not receive an electrical shock in doing so, for it should be noted that the other moving parts of the switch. are metallic and are in electrical engagement with the contact-bridging roller 27.

w i The axle 30 for the handle is mounted directly in the blocks 11, and thus the provision of a separate supporting frame in the body for the, axle is'avoided. The bearing for the axle curved edge of the body and there provide a slot 49 in which the contacts 32 may be located so that ears 50 on the contacts may be located at the exterior of the body where they are provided with wire-attaching screws 51. The contacts 32, which are formed of flat pieces, are adapted to be mounted on the blocks 11 and secured firmly in place without the use of tools and so that when the blocks 11 are secured together the contacts 32 cannot be moved or removed. To accomplish this, each of the contacts 32 is provided with an aperture 52 adapted to fit over and be supported by a similarly shaped lug 53 on one of the blocks -11 when the blocks are apart, and the apertures 52 and lugs 53 are non-cylindrical so as to prevent turning movement of the contact when supported on the lug. When the blocks'll are assembled, the contacts lie parallel with each other and with the walls of the body.

The contacts are insulated from each other and held in position against sidewise motion by a block 54 of insulating material which has an aperture 55 adapted to align with the apertures 52 in the contacts and to fit over both lugs 53 when the blocks 11 of the body are brought together. In assembling the'switch, a contact 32 is placed on each lug 53 and then the insulating block 54 is placed on one of the lugs, and finally when the two parts 11 are put together, the lug on the other block is pressed into the aperture 55 in the insulating block 54. The insulating block 54 simultaneously engages both blocks 11 of the body and thereby aligns the blocks relative to each other, and also prevents endwise and turning movements of one block relative to the other even before the screws 22a are tightened in place.

The insulating block 54 and contacts 32 completely fill the slot 49 in the body through which they extend, and their outside surfaces for the most part conform to the contour of the body.

The insulating block 54 extends out beyond the body and is located between the ears 50 of the contacts so as to electrically isolate the ears and has holes 56 through which the wire-attaching screws 51 extend for protecting the screws against contact with extraneous bodies.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 7, the inclined surfaces 44 and the vertical surfaces 45 of the contacts project beyond the adjacent surfaces of the insulating body 54, so that the roller 27 will engage these surfaces of the contacts and not be held from engagement therewith by the insulating block.

The arm 39 may be made, as shown in Fig. 8,

of two flat pieces 3911, the lower ends of which with enlargements .59 for preventing the slid,- ing head36ifrom inadvertently slipping on, the enlargements 59 also, embracing the end of the operating arm 3'7, and preventing sidewise'move5 ment of the arm 39 at that point. If desired, the arm 39 may be formed of one piece 391; bent in U-shape form as shown in Fig. 9, in which arrangement the cross-bar, 60 of the U-shaped piece acts to' space the lower ends of the legs 61 thereof, and consequently the disk 56, used in the form shown in Fig. 8, is not needed.

Frequently, it is desired to have the switch. normally biased to the one position, say off" position, so that it is necessary to manually hold the switch in on" position. This is accomplished in the form of the invention herein shown by providing the handle 14 with depressions or sockets 62 for receiving one end of a returning spring 63, the other end of which may rest on the top of the insulating block 54, as shown in Fig. l, or on the stop 41 if the spring is placed in the other side of the handle. With this simple arrangement, to convert the switch from one which may be left in either position of rest to one which is normally biased to one position, it is merely necessary to insert the spring 63 in the desired socket 62 when the switch is assembled, and should it at any time be desired to reconvert the switch, it is merely necessary to remove the screws 22, separate the parts 11, and remove the spring 62 or place it in the other socket.

By having the contacts mountable and demountable from the parts 11 without the use of tools, the assembly of electrical devices with the switches is materially facilitated, for the wire ends may be secured under the screws 51 before the contacts are assembled in the switch, it being merely necessary then to place the contacts over the lugs 53 when assembling the switch.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to obtain Letters-Patent, is:-

1. In an electric switch, an insulating body comprising two insulating blocks having their meeting faces extending longitudinally of the body, said meeting faces being recessed to form a chamber open at one edge of the body; switch mechanism in the recess in said body including a handle extending'through said recess to the exterior of the body for manual operation, said recessed edge of the body having a shoulder around its perimeter; and a supporting yoke having an aperture through which the recessed edge of the switch passes and against the walls of which the shoulder on the body snugly engages, said yoke being adapted to resist the spreading of the blocks at the recessed edge of the body through which said handle passes.

2. In an electric switch, an insulating body comprising two insulating blocks having their meeting faces extending longitudinally of the body, said meeting faces being recessed to form a chamber open at one edge of the body; switch mechanism in the recess in said body including a handle extending through said recess to the exterior of the body for manual operation, said recessed edge of the body having a shoulder around its perimeter; and a supporting yoke having an aperture through which said recessed of the body; switch mechanism in the chamber;

edge of switch passes, said yoke embracing said reces'sededge of the bod'yand being adapted 'to resist the spreading of thefblocks at the recessed edge through which said handle 3. In an electric switch, anfinsulating body comprising two'semi circular blocks having their meeting faces extending longitudinally of the body, said meeting faces being recessed to form a switch chamber openat the straight edge and means for actuating said switch mechanism including a handle extending through'and com pletely filling. the opening of the recess at the straight edge of the body, said handle havin an elongated bar reaching substantially from, end to end of the body and being mounted to teeter from one position of rest to another to operate the switch mechanism.

4. In an electric switch, an insulating body comprising two insulating blocks having their meeting faces extending longitudinally of the body, said meeting faces being recessed to form a switch chamber and said recess including .a slot opening at one edge of the body; a switch mechanism in said chamber including a contact-bridging member; two parallel contacts located in said slot in the body extending into said recess for engagement with said contact-bridging member and extending to the exterior of the body for wire engagement, said contacts being provided with elongated apertures; and a lug on each of said blocks adapted to engage with the aperture of one of the contacts to support the latter on the block against turning movement.

5. In an electric switch, an insulating body comprising two insulating blocks having their meeting faces extending longitudinally of the body, said meeting faces being recessed to form a switch chamber and said recess including a slot opening at one edge of the body; a switch mechanism in said chamber including a contact-bridging member; two parallel contacts located in said slot in the body extending into said recess for engagement with said contactbridging member and extending to the exterior of the body for wire engagement, said contacts being provided with elongated apertures; a lug on each of said blocks adapted to engage with the aperture of one of the contacts to support 125 the latter on the block against turning movement; and insulating means between said contacts and with the contacts completely filling said slot, said insulating means being apertured to receive the lugs on the blocks whereby the 130 insulating means is supported on the bodies against turning movements.

6. In an electric switch, an insulating body comprising two insulating blocks having their meeting faces extending longitudinally of the 135 body, said meeting faces being recessed to form a switch chamber and said recess including a slot opening at one edge of the body; a switch mechanism in said chamber including a contactbridging member; two parallel contacts located in said slot in the body extending into said reslot, said insulating means being aperturedto receive the lugs on the blocks whereby the insulating means is supported onthe bodies against turning movements, said insulating means being adapted to hold the two blocks in alignment before the blocks are secured together.

7. In a sandwich type switch having. a body split longitudinally and formed of two insulating blocks, switch mechanism in the body including a contact-bridging member; a lug formed integral with each of the two blocks of the body; a contact mounted on each of said lugs for quick removal and held against removal when the two parts of the body are placed together; and means for securing the two parts of the body together.

8. In an electric switch, an insulating body comprising two insulating blocks having their meeting faces extending longitudinally of the body; means for securing the blocks together in alignment; a third insulatingblock interposed between said first-named blocks; and integral interengaging means in said third block and first-namedv blocks for aligning the latter preparatorily to the securing of the first-named blocks together by the securing means.

9. In a snap switch, a. circuit closing member; a spring for causing the circuit-closing member to move with a snap action from one position of rest to another; a bar-like pivoted handle for operating the switch; a spring for biasing the handle so that it normally-moves to one position and must be held manually in the other position; sockets in said handle at opposite sides of its pivot into either of which the spring may be placed to change its biasing action; and abutments adjacent the sockets for the spring.

10. In a snap switch, a circuit closing member; a spring for causing the circuit-closing member to move with a snap action from one position of rest to another; a bar-like pivoted handle for operating the switch; a spring for biasing'the handle so that it normally moves to one position and must be held manually in the other position; a socket in said handle at one side of its pivot into which the spring may be placed; and an abutment adjacent the socket for'the spring.

11. In a snap switch having a base; a circuit closing member; a spring for causing the latter to move with a snap action; a' bar-like handle pivotally mounted on said base; abutments on the. base under the handle for limiting its movements; and means inserted between one side of the bar-like handle and one or said abutments roller axle; a spring surrounding said straps;

shoulders at one end of said straps for engaging one end of the spring; a member slidably mounted on, said straps and engaging the other end of said spring and having a depression in which the knife-edge of the operating member engages; and a disk on the roller holding the lower ends of said straps spaced apart.

13. In an electric switch, an insulating body comprising two insulating blocks having their meeting faces extending longitudinally of the body, said meeting faces being recessed to form a chamber open at one edge of the body; switch mechanism in the recess in said body including a handle extending through said recess to the exterior of the body for manual operation, said recessed edge of, the body having a shoulder around its perimeter; and a supporting member having an aperture through which the recessed edge of the switch passes and against the walls of which the shoulder on the body snugly en-v gages, said supporting member being adapted to resist the spreading of the blocks at the recessed edge of the body through which said handle passes.

14. In an electric switch, an insulating body comprising two insulating blocks having their meeting faces extending longitudinally of the body, said meeting faces being recessed to form a switch chamber and said recess including a slot opening at one edge of the body; a switch mechanism in said chamber including a contact-bridging member; two parallel contacts located in said slot in the body extending into said recess for engagement with said contact-bridging member and extending to the exterior of the body for wire engagement, said contacts being provided with non-circular cutouts; and a lug on each of said blocks adapted to fit the cutout of one of the contacts to support the latter on the block against turning movement.

ARTHUR C. GAYNOR. 

